Contract updates
Transport to hospital appointments can be a major challenge for many patients today. From 28 April 2025, updated national eligibility criteria for non-emergency patient transport services is being implemented in West Yorkshire.
What is Non-Emergency Patient Transport?
Non-Emergency Patient Transport Services (NEPTS) provide NHS-funded transport where a medical condition means that a patient would struggle to safely attend their treatment or appointment independently. NEPTS are important in keeping NHS services flowing smoothly and ensuring access to NHS services for many people. The service ensures that patients arrive on time for appointments and that, once discharged, they are able to return to their normal place of residence. It also supports patients receiving regular treatment such as dialysis or cancer treatment.
Eligibility for NEPTS is individually assessed in relation to a patient’s medical needs, mobility and general transport arrangements. It is reserved for when it is considered essential to ensuring an individual’s safety, safe mobilisation, condition management or recovery. Transport cannot be provided to patients on the basis of social or financial needs. However, under the national NHS Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme (HTCS), patients on a low income/in receipt of some benefits may be able to claim a refund for their travel costs, where their transport is not covered by the eligibility criteria.
Patients who do not have a medical need for NHS-funded transport will be signposted to alternative transport or schemes, and patients that are able to make their own way to healthcare appointments using their own transport, family members, public/community transport or taxi services are encouraged to do so.
The updated criteria give patients more clarity on who is eligible for transport and to ensure that where relevant, they have appropriate access to patient transport.
The patient is likely to qualify for non-emergency patient transport if they meet one or more of the following criteria:
- - They have a medical need
- - They have a cognitive or sensory impairment
- - They have a significant mobility need
- - They are travelling to or returning from in-centre haemodialysis
- - A safeguarding concern has been raised
- - They have wider mobility or medical needs that have resulted in treatment or discharge being missed or severely delayed.
Included in the updated eligibility criteria is a universal commitment of transport support for patients attending in-centre haemodialysis. This provides guidance to patients, patient groups, haemodialysis units, transport providers and commissioners in support of that universal commitment for transport support.
NEPTS is a very busy service, and it is often much quicker to get to or from hospital independently or with the help of friends, family or voluntary services.
The main provider of non-emergency patient transport services in West Yorkshire is Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS), although other provision is available.
Involving people
So that we understood people’s views about the NEPTS, we undertook a survey throughout the first quarter of 2025. To support this work, the West Yorkshire Voice team at Healthwatch produced this helpful document and this video to go with it.
We have also produced a draft Quality Impact Assessment (QIA) and Equality Impact Assessment (EIA). These are important documents which can be amended as more information about the impact of the updated eligibility criteria becomes clearer.
To obtain a copy of the QIA and / or EIA, please use this email address to contact us wyicb.